Cory L. Richards, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute, passed away on Thursday at age 64 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. For 40 years, Richard championed the expansion of birth control and abortion access. As his colleagues at Guttmacher stated,"he was the intellectual architect of crucial policy changes that continue to benefit millions of U.S. women and families."

In 1994, Richards spearheaded the report Uneven and Unequal, which drove the issue of gaps in insurance coverage for contraceptives into public debate. The report led to the Institute's efforts to guarantee birth control coverage in 28 states prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

"Cory was passionate and determinate about saving women's lives," Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation said. "We will all miss him."

Richards also held volunteer positions with NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Abortion Federation, and National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).

According to the Guttmacher Institute, "Cory leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. He will be acutely missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues at Guttmacher and the sexual and reproductive health community he served with such dedication and skill."